India vs Australia, 4th Test: Cheteshwar Pujara expressed his love for the longest format of the game, saying he would prefer to be called a Test player even in his next birth.

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Akshay Ramesh

Sydney

January 4, 2019

UPDATED: January 4, 2019 22:32 IST

Cheteshwar Pujara's 193 in Sydney has given India a good chance to win the ongoing series 3-1 (AP Photo)

HIGHLIGHTS

Cheteshwar Pujara said the sight of him defending well is a discouraging sign for bowlers

Pujara revealed he is more expressive while playing FIFA than when is playing cricket

Pujara has scored 521 runs, including three centuries, in the ongoing 4-Test series vs Australia

Cheteshwar Pujara has played only 1258 balls in the ongoing four-Test series in Australia but for the opposition captain, Tim Paine, it feels like "he's faced about a million balls".

Pujara had a disappointing tour of Australia in 2014-15 but the ever-dependable No. 3 batsman has successfully buried the memories of the previous tour to top the batting charts in the ongoing tour.

Pujara has scored 521 runs, including three centuries, in the ongoing series. If anything is more important than the number of runs he has scored is the deliveries - 1258 of them - he has faced over seven innings so far in the series. Pujara has made sure he has blunted the new ball and made the world-class Australian attack work hard on the field.

Tim Paine conceded after Pujara's 193-run marathon in the ongoing Sydney Test that the in-form Indian batsman has ground their bowlers down in the series. Nathan Lyon asked Pujara if he isn't feeling bored after the 30-year-old got to the three-figure mark on Day 1 in Sydney.

The Australian bowlers' frustrations over Pujara's marathon knocks is visible but does the India batsman feel bad for the opposition bowlers?

My defence is my strength: Pujara

In a candid interview for bcci.tv, Pujara says he doesn't feel for the opposition bowlers but concedes the sight of him defending at will does discourage them, especially the pacers.

"As a batsman, I can't feel bad but when I am fielding, I do feel bad for our bowlers. Obviously, he [the opposition bowler] will be discouraged and that's why my strength is my defence. It has to be discouraging for a bowler if I am defending well. If a bowler is bowling at 150 kmph and I am defending that well, then he has to find another option. So I think I am winning that battle," Pujara said.

Pujara, who only plays the longest format at the international level, also insisted that he would prefer to be called a Test player even in his next birth.

"I would love to play Test cricket even in my next life... if Test cricket is still going on. That is the ultimate challenge. In a T20 game, you can still get away with a lot of things. But when it comes to your character, when it comes to your temperament, so many things come to play only in Test cricket. So even in my next life, I would still prefer to be called a Test player," Pujara added.

Pujara also chose the century he had scored in the first Test of the series in Adelaide as the most important hundred of the ongoing tour, saying it gave India the early momentum. India have an unassailable 2-1 lead in the series and are inching closer to a historic 3-1 win, thanks to Pujara's first innings 193 in the ongoing Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

"Adelaide, I would say Adelaide [most important hundred of the series] because the first match of the series was the most important Test match. When you're 1-0 up early, you're always on top. You can remain on top. The innings at Adelaide wills till be very special. Test centuries are special, so both MCG and the SCG centuries are also special."

The other side of Cheteshwar Pujara

From Game of Thrones references, an open challenge to beat him in table tennis to the silliest way he’s gotten out till date - we catch @cheteshwar1 in a never seen before avatar - by @28anand

Pujara, who revealed he had grown up playing badminton and table tennis, said he loves playing video games and that he may be more expressive than he is on the cricket field while playing the popular football video game, FIFA on his PlayStation.

"In my childhood, I used to love playing video games and I used to spend hours and hours on that. Later on, I realised it's not good to spend so many hours on that, but one-odd hour is fine in a day, not every single day, just to relax," Pujara added.

"I still enjoy playing the PlayStation. I am very competitive like I am on the field. I am more expressive when I am playing Fifa."